Soil Nailing

Soil nailing is an effective and economical method of constructing retaining walls for excavation support, support of hillside cuts, bridge abutments and highways.

Schnabel Foundation Company's soil nailing walls are often the ideal solution when an excavation is required close to an adjacent property line, where a site has limited access, for emergency repairs and where the cost of installing soldier beams is high. Soil nailing projects are built from the top down in a minimum of space and without disruption of the area behind the wall.

When used in the proper application, our design-build soil nailing walls can be constructed more rapidly and economically than other retaining wall systems.

Soil nailing is an in-place reinforcement of the soil. It uses steel tendons grouted into pre-drilled holes to create a stable block in front of the soil that requires support. Soil nails are used for the temporary support of excavations, construction of permanent retaining walls, construction or replacement of bridge abutments, and for the control of landslides. When used with other earth retaining techniques, such as micropiles, tiebacks and tiedback elements, they will stabilize large masses of soil. Soil nail walls are usually built with smaller, easily mobilized equipment and without extensive steel fabrication. This minimizes the start-up time and makes soil nailing the best application for congested sites.

Schnabel Foundation Company's soil nail walls have been successfully installed in stiff clays and silts, some coarse grain soils, mixed soils with rock and weathered rock. The relatively short length of the nails makes soil nails ideal for tight sites and limited right-of-ways or property lines. In the right application, soil nailing is a rapid and economical way to build retaining walls.